Project Aurora
by CarolineESOA
Summary: Project Aurora was mothballed and Rosa Shepard was never meant to awaken from her cryogenic sleep. But with the Reapers invading, Cerberus facilities have been left vulnerable and she finds herself awakening in a future she was never meant to know, confronted with the husband she thought dead and the turian she had only just started to open her heart to. AU for my fic LTTA.


**AN: This is an AU for my fic Let's Try This Again. Just a bit of a what-if because the idea wouldn't leave me alone. Don't expect anything beyond what-if silliness though...**

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She saw it before he did. The explosion caused the wall to splinter, right next to where Titus was standing.

"Get down!" she yelled, pushing him out of the way.

"Rosa!" She heard him yell, just as the world turned black.

"_How long until she's out of cryo?" _asked a familiar voice through the darkness.

"_I'm not sure_," replied a female voice that Rosa didn't recognise.

"_It had better not be long. I'm not sure how much longer the others can hold off the Cerberus forces._"

Rosa tried to move her limbs as more of her cognisance returned to her. Whoever the male voice belonged to, she had a deep-seated need to get to him. She began to be able to move her fingers, if only slightly, and she found that she felt cold. Too cold. She put more effort into moving, determined not to freeze. She managed to open her eyes, but all she saw in front of her was a light blue blur.

"_Her readings are becoming erratic,_" the female voice warned.

"_She'll pull through. She can't not."_

"_While your faith in her is admirable, I don't think…"_

"_Ms. T'Soni, would you have so much doubt if we were talking about the commander?"_

"_Of course not."_

"_Then you understand."_

Rosa found, as her vision cleared, that most of the blurriness came from the glass window just inches from her face. Her breath was leaving her mouth in icy swirls, confirming that, wherever she was trapped, it was freezing. She managed to clench her hands into fists, pushing them forward to knock on the metal that she was trapped within.

"_Rosa… We have to open it!"_

"_She's not yet ready."_

"_I don't think she's going to wait until she's ready."_

The door, as she now realised it was, in front of her swung open, and Rosa stumbled out of her tiny prison. Familiarly strong hands caught her, holding her up. She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision, as she strained to see who her rescuer was. Once her vision cleared, she let out a happy burst of laughter, realising just whose arms she was held within.

"Adrien!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his mouth plates.

"Rosa," he murmured as she pulled away. She recognised his subharmonics as those of joy.

"I swore that if I ever saw you again, I would no longer hold back," she admitted as he came to rest his browplates on her forehead.

"You'll have time for reunions later," the asari in the room told them, her tone a little sharp as she gave Victus a warning look.

"Right, of course," Victus agreed, pulling away from Rosa. She noted the skin beneath his plates turning a deep blue.

"What?" Rosa asked him, folding her arms.

He awkwardly passed her a bundle of clothing from the desk next to her. She gave him a questioning look before realising that she was completely naked. She responded by grinning at him as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong, Adrien? Don't tell me you're shy about a little nudity."

He shook his head. "Not shy, no. The rest of my body could use the blood supply, is all."

"Oh," she replied simply, continuing to grin at him as she quickly pulled on the clothing.

"I've messaged the others," the asari told them. "They're on their way."

"So, who else did you rope into my rescue?" Rosa asked as she finished getting dressed. She took a moment to regard Victus a little more closely, realising that he looked older than when she had last seen him. She couldn't tell by how much, however, since she had never really been all that good at telling turian ages.

"It's… a long story," Victus told her.

"Adrien… How long was I out?"

"That's the thing, Rosa… It's been… A while."

"Define a while."

Before he could reply, however, another voice sounded from the doorway. "Rosie?!"

Rosa's jaw dropped as she recognised the voice. The voice of her very-much-dead husband. She spun on her heels to face him, her heart stopping as she did. His hair was a little longer, and had a few flecks of grey in it, but it was very much Will.

She ran towards him and he drew her into his arms, crushing her against him in disbelief.

"But, you were…" she eventually managed through her tears.

"So were you," he replied, his voice just as choked with emotion as hers was. "Apparently, they brought both of us back."

"I hate to break this up, but the commander is expecting us back at the shuttle," the large hulk of man who had arrived with Will told them. "Lola hates it when people run late."

"Commander Lola?" Rosa asked with a raised eyebrow.

She didn't miss the way Will seemed to shift awkwardly. "Well, 'Lola' is just James' nickname for her. Come on, you should meet her."

"Okay," Rosa said simply as they made their way through the facility. The corridors were littered with dead guards but no more sought to attack them. "So, I'm going to ask again, how long was I out for?"

"Twenty five years," her husband told her simply.

"Wait…" she paused in her tracks. "Please tell me you're joking."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. Trust me, I know how tough it can be to adjust. They only got me out a few weeks ago."

"But…" Rosa trailed off as they approached the shuttle. She wanted to know what had happened since she'd been gone. Where was Sophia? But that was a question for later. Right now, she didn't even know who it was behind her rescue.

"You know," she heard from within the shuttle as they entered, "eventually, we're going to run out of mysterious cryo-pods to open. I don't know about you guys, but I'm kind of hoping it's soon. It's getting a little old."

"I'm not complaining," Rosa said, just as she finally got a good look at the commander. Or, at least, the back of her. But that was enough. She had Rosa's red hair, which was tied up in a blue ribbon. She didn't need more than that to identify Sophia.

Sophia turned to face her, a look of shock on her face. "Mama?" she eventually asked, though it was barely audible.

Will placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and Rosa realised that he was going to explain. She placed her own hand over his and squeezed, informing him that it was okay. She already knew.

"I'm sorry," Rosa said, stepping towards her daughter.

Sophia just gave her a confused frown.

"For being late in getting back to you," she explained.

Sophia responded by moving towards her and hugging her. Rosa frowned a little at the scar on Sophia's neck. It looked almost like a turian bondmark. But she decided not to comment on it. She'd have time to catch-up on everything later.

"Soph, are we okay to take off now?" A familiar voice came up from the cockpit and Rosa frowned as Sophia pulled away from her.

"Yeah, let's get back to the ship," Sophia told the turian.

"Wait… Titus?" Rosa asked.

The turian shook his head, a little awkwardly. "No. Titus is my father."

"Right. Twenty five years," Rosa remembered. "So, that must make you Garrus?"

The turian nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to the cockpit."

Will sat down, motioning for Rosa to sit next to him. She did, leaning against him a little. It had been so long since she had felt his familiar warmth and she had been so sure that she would never get to feel it again. She had so many questions rattling around in her brain, but she kept them to herself for now. If there was one thing she had learned from Will, it was to just accept the happy moments when they came around. In fact, she found herself smiling. Garrus and Sophia were working together. It seemed as if Titus had kept his promise.

"You're being quiet," Will murmured, a little worriedly. "You're never quiet."

She shrugged. "I thought you were gone," she told him softly. "I guess I'm still a little afraid that you might just fade away on me. That I'll wake up in the medbay twenty five years ago."

"I kind of wish that would happen," he told her.

She turned so that she was facing him, shocked. "Will… You were gone…"

"But you still might have gotten back to Sophia, so that she didn't have to grow up alone."

Rosa frowned. She hadn't been alone. She'd had her grandmother. But, before she could say anything, the shuttle docked.

Everyone filed out and Rosa found her gaze drawn to Victus, reminding her that he was there. She felt her stomach twist with guilt. She had forgotten that he was there, having been so caught up in Will's return. Her heart tugged a little, reminding her that, even though she had her husband back, she still had feelings for her turian friend.

"Garrus, I need a word." Rosa frowned at the sudden appearance of another turian, who was the spitting image of Garrus, if a little older.

"Titus," she greeted with a grin, confident that this was indeed her friend.

She was not expecting the burst of subharmonics that he replied with. She knew enough to recognise it as anger, mixed with just a little disbelief. He turned on his heels and left immediately.

"Was it something I said?" The joke fell a little flat.

"Come on," Will said. "I think there are some things that you need to be caught up on."

"Will you guys be okay?" Sophia asked. "I need to deal with… well, everything, I guess."

Will nodded. "It's fine," he told her before turning to Rosa. "My quarters are downstairs."

She nodded, smiling. Though, as soon as the lift doors shut behind them, she let the smile slip, fidgeting nervously. Will was the only person she had ever let see her weak. Well, apart from Adrien. She felt so out of place here. The entire world had gone and turned on her. Nothing was as it had been.

"Feeling lost?" Will asked her. He moved his hand out, as if to assure her, but he hesitated just a little. She responded with a sigh, before taking that hand in hers. He smiled at the gesture.

"A little," she admitted. "It's just so… different."

"I know," he assured her. "I'm still not quite used to it all yet."

The lift arrived at that point and Will led her towards one of the cargo bays. It was outfitted with a bed but little else in the way of furniture or personal belongings.

"Cosy," Rosa commented.

"Well, it's not as if I can just go to Earth and get my things."

"Why not?"

Will sighed at that, sitting down on the bed. "I almost forgot about catching up."

Rosa smiled, sitting next to him. "Ah yes, catching up." She leaned forward to kiss him. He seemed hesitant at first, but quickly reciprocated.

"That's not exactly what I meant," he said as she finally pulled away.

"I know," she told him. "I just… I guess I'm a little afraid of what you might say."

"Yeah… It's not…" He trailed off.

"No sunshine and rainbows, huh?"

"We're no longer at war with the turians," he reasoned.

"That's good. So, tell me what else I missed. From the beginning."

"Well, I guess you're wondering what was up with the Primarch."

"Who?"

"Titus."

"Wait, Titus is the Primarch?"

Will nodded. "Yeah."

Rosa smiled but it faded quickly as she looked away. "We used to be friends…"

"Apparently, he spent years campaigning for peace, thanks to your influence. But then the Alliance betrayed a ceasefire and his bondmate was caught in the fighting. She was killed."

Rosa sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest. "No wonder he hates me… But then, why is he here? And how do Garrus and Sophia know each other?"

"Well, they met on the battlefield. While they were on opposite sides."

Rosa frowned. "Wait, Sophia fought in the war? I gave my mother specific instructions-"

"Rosa," Will cut her off before drawing her close to him, "your mother… She died."

Rosa tried not to let tears fall but it was hard. She should have realised that, with twenty five years having passed, some people close to her would be gone. It didn't lessen the pain, however. "When?" she finally managed to ask.

"When Sophia was eleven."

"And Sophia?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"She fended for herself until she came into her biotics. She exhausted herself and ended up in the hospital. That was when the Alliance caught up with her."

"Was she… okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Anderson looked out for her."

"David? He's still around?"

"Yeah. He's on Earth right now."

"So, how did Sophia and Garrus go from fighting to working together?"

"Well, apparently not even war can stop true love."

"Wait, what?"

"Garrus and Sophia are bonded. They've been together ever since the war ended."

Rosa couldn't help but smile at that. "So, who are we fighting now?"

"Who says we're fighting anyone?"

"The warship says we are. The warship with the turian Primarch aboard."

"Right… Well, this is where things get weird."

"Weird?"

"Like the ancient robots who wiped out the Protheans coming for us."

"That's… a joke, right?" His dead serious look told her otherwise. "Okay. Not a joke. Are we winning, at least?"

He shrugged. "Too soon to tell."

"Okay, well, that's… yeah, that's definitely on the weird side."

"Oh, that was just a warm-up before I got to the timetravel stuff."

"The what?"

"There are also two time travellers aboard."

Rosa took a deep breath, wondering if things could get any crazier or if they would just stop now. "From when?"

"Thirty years in the future. Though, I guess it's more like twenty five now since they've been here for so long."

"Why are they here?"

"Apparently the war was supposed to end long before it did. It having gone on for so long means that we're weakened against the Reapers. They're here to try to set things right."

"Okay… I'm on a spaceship right now, so I think I can deal with timetravel."

"Aren't you curious about who the time travellers are?"

"If they're from so far in the future, I doubt I'd know them."

"Well, technically, no. But Kira is an awful lot like you. It's kind of scary, to be honest."

Rosa frowned.

"They're Sophia's kids," he explained.

"That's…" Rosa trailed off, shaking her head.

"Did I lose you?"

"Just… Part of me thinks that it'll all make sense if I just sleep on it, and then I remember that I was asleep for twenty five years."

"I still wake up, thinking I'm back home," he admitted, "searching for you next to me…"

"You don't have to search any longer," she replied before leaning in to kiss him once more. It had been so long, and her heart had ached for him so.

"No, I guess I don't," he finally agreed, though still seemed hesitant.

"What is it?" she asked.

He responded by regarding her in that alarming perceptive way that he did before saying, "Rosa, I was dead."

"And?"

"And you spent a long time learning to live without me."

She responded by kissing him again. "I love you," she told him. "You're my husband and I will _always_ love you, no matter what."

He smiled, brushing a few stray locks from her face, along her scars. "I know," he told her simply. "But, Rosa, when have I ever held to the ridiculous notion that we only get one love in this life?"

She sighed. "Fine. I also have feelings for Adrien. Is that what you want to hear?"

"I want you to be honest with yourself."

She didn't have a response, other than to fold her arms in a slightly disgruntled manner.

Will simply laughed a little. "I always forget that you're from a Catholic family."

"It's not funny."

"Of course not."

"Look, I just… It's been years. He probably only barely remembers me…" But his subharmonic tones of joy as she had kissed him told her otherwise.

"I doubt that. You're pretty unforgettable, you know."

"How is this even supposed to… you know…?"

"Well, how about you start by talking to him? See where it goes from there."

"And say what? Hey Adrien, my husband's back, but he's totally fine with me still boning you on the side?"

Will laughed once more and she couldn't help but smile. She had missed his laugh. "I just don't understand why you would restrict yourself by pretending to not care about him. You do, and no amount of ignoring it will change that. All I'm saying is talk to him. That's all."

She sighed, nodding. "Okay. I'll talk to him. But tomorrow, okay? Tonight, I want to reacquaint myself with _you_."


End file.
